By Debra Bokur
Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province, offers a pastoral haven for a spa holiday.
The engines of the tiny Dash 100 whine as the plane slips beneath the cloud cover, heading for the short runway just outside Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island. Long ago, the native Mi’kmaq tribe who still inhabit this small crescent-shaped strip of land rising from the sea named it Abegweit – “the land cradled by the waves.” Here, shorebirds mingle with ravens on harbor pilings, sheep graze in pastures edged by waves, and each spring is defined by the wild lupines that flower around the feet of sun-bleached lighthouses. The sea is a constant presence, teasing every sense at once – from the thin coating of salt on my lips, to the lulling music of water lapping rhythmically against the quay.
Located just north of Nova Scotia and measuring 175 miles in length and between 4 and 40 miles in width, Prince Edward Island is traditionally known as the home of Anne of Green Gables, the beloved character created by novelist Lucy Maud Montgomery. Islanders tell me that the gently rolling landscape, thick with livestock and fields of potato crops, has changed little since Montgomery’s life in the early 1900s.
Charlottetown
Arriving late in the day at the Delta Prince Edward Hotel in the historic city of Charlottetown, the first thing I learn is that the domed lobby is the setting for a very dangerous evening dessert buffet. Though tempted, I slip outdoors to stroll the boardwalk of this charming nautical town, where boats of all sizes with bright sails bob in the waters around Peake’s Wharf, just steps from the hotel lobby.
Daylight reveals the surrounding streets offer a host of shopping and health options, from yoga and Pilates studios, to the Native Council Craft Center & Gallery, featuring hand carved ivory and traditional Mi’kmaq works. On Water Street, a heavenly scent wafting from the open doorway of Moonsnail Soapworks draws me over the threshold. Inside, the shelves are stocked with handcrafted soaps, creams, candles, salves and body oils – and a line of gentle, natural pet care products. I leave with a selection of soaps including one made from red clay and kelp soap that shop owner Jennifer Ridgeway tells me was inspired by the nearby beaches.
Back at the Delta Prince Edward, I spend the afternoon in Radiant Reflections spa enjoying an Algo Mask Facial with detoxifying sea algae, and a Chocolate Delight body treatment. The treatment begins with an exfoliating, full-body Chocolate Mineral Buff. Next, I’m slathered with a rich cocoa cream from the Parisian G. M. Collin line for the soothing and hydrating Fondue Body Wrap.
Summerside
Once a major shipbuilding center, PEI’s second largest city is Summerside. Its pastoral beauty is home to the College of Piping, which has earned an international reputation for its instruction in Celtic arts including piping, dancing and drumming. Several artisan cheese makers are also based here, celebrating the herds of happy cows who dot the lush pastures sloping down from hillside barns to the sea.
I’m heading for Atlantis Health Spa, owned and managed by husband and wife team Carnah and Dave Collins. Carnah is a licensed massage therapist and aesthetician, while Dave – a naturopath and licensed acupuncturist – also runs the on-site Centre of Complementary Medicine & Acupuncture. Specialties here include a Rainfall Massage, Dead Sea Damascus Rose Polish, and a number of massages including Thai, lymphatic, Swedish, and pregnancy. Hydrotherapy treatments, herbal and milk baths, and German Presso-therapy (which stimulates circulation and aids in lymphatic drainage) are also available.
Dave gives me a tour of the medical center on the other side of the building, where consultations and appointment for acupuncture sessions, allergy desensitization, iridology, magnetic therapy and other services are offered. I’m surprised by the diversity, and that such a seemingly rural community would be interested in these types of treatments, but he assures me that both the local population and the vacationers who come here are extremely sophisticated when it comes to health therapies.
Carnah has no trouble convincing me to try a Thai floor massage, and for the next 60 minutes, my therapist uses her own body to manipulate mine, adding a variety of acupressure and Shiatsu techniques that stretch me into a state of deep relaxation. She encourages me to breath in synch with her, and in a few moments, we’ve achieved an amazing and harmonious rhythm of flex, pull and release. Afterwards, I feel a deep sense of liberation, and the feeling that my lungs are holding twice as much oxygen as usual.
East, then North
No place on the island is more than 10 miles from the sea, but I long to get a little closer. After departing Atlantis, I make the leisurely, scenic drive along the coast past Bay Fortune, Little Harbour, and Basin Head to the island’s easternmost tip to climb the lighthouse at East Point. The view is stunning, and the seabirds wheeling about the top of the lighthouse appear to approve that I’ve made the climb.
Turning the car northwest, I drive as far as Kingsboro, stopping at the Singing Sands Inn & Sea Breeze Restaurant to order a lobster roll for lunch. Continuing on along the coastal road, I reach the small town of Lakeside. Located beachside here on the north shore, the buildings of Rodd Crowbush Golf & Beach Resort rise above the dunes, looking as though they’ve been coated in candy – but the charming salmon pinks and soft yellows and blues do nothing to disrupt the peaceful scenery. Thought my suite is all coziness and comfort, there are better things to do than lounge. After a workout in the full-service fitness center, I set out for a two-hour hike among the dunes and surrounding countryside. There are numerous paths for cycling, hiking and horseback riding. Searching along the sides of a wooded path bring me suddenly upon a cluster of Ladyslippers, delicate pink orchids that are the island’s official flower.
Satisfied I’ve earned a massage, I head for the main lobby and the Rodd Spa Boutique, which features Aveda treatments and products. The choices are extensive, but I decide on the 60-minute Aqua Body Polish with Dead Sea Salts and marine elements, followed by an Aromatic Massage with Aveda oils specially blended to sooth and harmonize my naturally steamy mix of water and fire natures.
Hungry, I make my way to the resort’s fine dining restaurant to sample some fresh island seafood. A pasta dish tossed with mussels, lobster, olive oil and herbs proves to be delicious and quite filling, and I wander back to my room to doze contentedly in front of the fireplace before a long, pre-bed soak in the deep tub.
Quayside
Back in Charlottetown, I’m ready for a last round of sightseeing before tomorrow’s flight home. I’ve got a room booked at The Inns on Great George, a collection of historic B&Bs on Great George Street, right next to the waterfront. I’m shown to an enormous, sloped-roof room with a four-poster bed and a clawfooted bathtub in the corner beneath the eaves. An alcove with a dormer window and a deep, plush chair almost convinces me to snuggle in with a book, but the shining sun and cheerful clatter of dockside noise coming through the open window are too much to resist.
There isn’t time for a sailing cruise, and I momentarily regret not having the foresight to schedule one. As it turns out, a single dip of maple walnut from Cows ice cream shop near the wharf and a comfortable spot on a park bench are pretty gratifying. I watch, fascinated, as lobster boats return with the late afternoon tide, and sailors ready their craft for the night. As dusk falls over the sea, I navigate my way to Lobster on the Wharf Restaurant & Seafood Market for one last seafood dinner.
In the morning, I watch as the green and peaceful island slowly fades from view, and my plane heads for my connection in Nova Scotia. I’ve got a sudden urge to re-read Anne of Green Gables once I’m home, and can’t help but wonder what Anne would have made of my Aqua Body Polish. From all accounts, she was a very sensible character. No doubt she would advise me that next time, I should have the facial, too.
Ports of Call
Prince Edward Island can be experienced in a number of ways – all of them enjoyable. Hike or bike the Confederation Sentier Trail, which winds among softwoods, wetlands, and edge habitats from one tip of the island to the other. Beginning in the village of Tignish at the western end of island, it spans the entire length along a disused rail line. Along the way, you can pause for birding, blueberry picking, beach time, or to peruse craft shops in quaint villages.
Prince Edward Island official visitor’s site
(888) PEI-PLAY, www.peiplay.com
Confederation Sentier Trail info
www.peiplay.com/parks
Delta Prince Edward Hotel
Charlottetown
(902) 566-2222, www.deltahotels.com/prov/p_pei.html
Rodd Crowbush Golf & Beach Resort
Lakeside
(902) 961-5600, www.rodd-hotels.ca/ourhotels/pei/crowbush/index.asp
The Inns on Great George
Charlottetown
(902) 892-0606, www.innsongreatgeorge.com
Atlantis Health Spa
Summerside
(902) 436-9101, www.atlantishealthspa.ca
Moonsnail Soapworks
Charlottetown
(902) 892-7627, www.moonsnailsoapworks.com
Outside Expeditions
National & Provincial Park Tours of PEI
Kayaking, cycling, canoeing
(800) 207-3899, www.getoutside.com
Saga Sailing Adventures
Charlottetown
Sailing charters aboard a 36′ sloop
(902) 672-1222, www.virtuo.com/sagasail
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